Halyard securing means



P 1967 H. E. BRETT HALYARD SECURING MEANS Filed Sept. 2, 1966 United States Patent 3,343,514 HALYARD SECURING MEANS Harry E. Brett, 51 E. 211th St., Euclid, Ohio 44123 Filed Sept. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 581,134 Claims. (Cl. 114108) My invention relates to the rigging of sailboats and more particularly to means in the running type of rigging for securing the mainsail and jibsail supporting halyards of such sailboats.

Sailboats ordinarily provide for the raising and lowering of indivdual sails by running rigging comprised of halyards passing from headboards at the top of the sails to pulleys or other means on the upper reaches of the mast and thence downward to an available position, either above below a deck area immediate the mast. A halyard may pass downward alongside or, if the mast is hollow, inside the mast and may be manipulated manually or, if the sail is large and diflicult to handle, be hoisted, lowered and adjusted through the aid of one or more winches suitably placed either outside or inside of the mast or in the immediate deck area. Effective maintenance of the sail at the proper position has, almost universally, required the halyard to be secured either by tie downs on a lower mast portion or deck portion or by ratchets or brakes incorporated in the winches. Likewise, it should be noted, that the halyards are often made of steel cable because of the heavy loads carried thereby and because of the wind resistance afiorded by much larger hemp lines.

In the described prior running rigging, both the upwardly and downwardly extending portions of the halyards transfer a downward component or pressure to the mast. Large and costly winches are also required by the prior running rigging in that the full load on the halyard is carried thereby during all conditions of raising and lowering the sails as well asduring all moments the sails remain raised.

One object of my invention is to eliminate the downward load applied to the mast by the normally secured portion of the halyard and therefore halve the load applied thereto by the running rigging by. providing means for securing the halyard to the upper reaches of the mast when the sails are fully set.

Another object of my invention is to completely eliminate all loads on the pulleys, pulley blocks and fastenings of the running rigging at the upper portion of the mast by providing a releasable means for securing the upper extent of the halyard adjacent the sail to that mast portion after the sails are set.

Another object of my invention is to considerably reduce the size, complexity and difliculty of handling the winches, as well as simplify the placement of winches of sailboats by providing for the load on the halyards of the running rigging to be carried, under full sail conditions, by easily releasable means attached to the upper reaches of the mast.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a means of particular simplicity and reliability for readily securing sail. raising halyards of sailboats to upper mast portions, Such means must, in order to fulfill these requirements, be readily operable under all conditions of rough seas etc. and must be adaptable to most forms of rigging wherein jumper stays, jumper spreaders etc. restrict lateral manipulations of the halyards. Also, the

halyard securing means must-not be made inoperative or diflicult to operate by usual wear of use and corrosive conditions resulting from a lack of protection from the weather. The importance of these requirements can be appreciated further when it is realized that failure of the halyard securing means will, most likely, result in the sail being at least partially dropped so that control over the sailboat is lost. In such instances, the balance as well as the direction of travel of the sailboat is changed, either of which may result in serious or complete loss of the sailboat.

The halyard securing means of my invention has particular utility in the now common practice of racing sailboats in that its design permits very rapid manipulation of the halyards and little or no difiiculty in setting and releasing the sails.

Other objects and features of the halyard securing means of my invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a sailboat having rigging including halyard securing means of my invention for both the mainsail and jibsail halyards.

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic side elevation of the upper portion of the mast, certain sail portions, the halyard securing means and other adjacent rigging portions of the aforesaid sailboat.

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of the sustainer of the halyard securing means of my invention as used on the above mentioned sailboat.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the aforesaid sustainer of my halyard securing means.

FIG. 5 is a end elevation of the aforesaid sustainer.

The sailboat shown in the drawing is of usual construction insofar as it has a hull 10 at least partially covered by a deck 11 and the rigging, the standing portion thereof which comprises a mast 12 braced with a forestay 13, a backstay 14 and the shrouds 15 (only partially shown). The running portion of the rigging includes a mainsail 16 supported by a halyard 17 and a jibsail 18 supported by a halyard 19, both halyards 17 and 19 being made of steel cable and, as shown in FIG. 2, passing upward over pulleys 20 and 21 respectively, largely contained within openings in the mast 12. The downward further extents of the halyards 17 and 19 lie within the hollow center of the mast 12, which incidentally is made of metal but could equally well be made of wood, and passes to respective drums of the winch assembly 22 in the lowermost portion adjacent the deck 11.

Particular to the running rigging of the disclosed sailboat is the sustainer 23 of my halyard securing means, which sustainer 23 is fastened to the mast 12 above and in the plane of the mainsail 16 and which defines an open 'guideway or guideslot 24 for the halyard 17 associated with the mainsail 16. The open guideslot 24 is only of sufficient width to accommodate the halyard 17 and, accordingly, limits lateral displacement of the halyard, and cuts the full length of the sustainer 23 which is comprised 'of the extending and intermediate bifurcated portions 25 and 26, respectively. The guideslot 24 intersects the pocket 27 in the top surface of the extending bifurcated portion 25 and has line of origin in the vertical passageway 28 extending the full depth of the intermediate bifurcated portion 26. The sustainer 23 is positioned on the mast 12 as near the pulley 20 as possible but with particular reference to the lay of the halyard 17 at the near to and full .hoisted positions of the mainsail 16. At the near to full hoisted position of the mainsail 16 for instance, the straight fall of the halyard 17 between the headboard thereof and the pulley 20 lies across the lower edge of the sloping outer .contour 29 of the extending bifurcated portion 25; whereas the mainsail 16 is normally carried at a very slightly lower position where the fixed ball-shaped stop 31 on the halyard 17 is located within the open pocket 27 of the sustainer 23 and the halyard 17 is deflected farther out from the mast 12. The full load of the mainsail 16, at such times, is carried by the short length of the halyard 17 between the sail headboard and the ball-shaped stop 31 and is transferred through the ball-shaped stop 31 to the extending bifurcated portion 25 of the sustainer 23. 'Both the pocket 27 and the passageway 28 defined by the sustainer 23 are of a size to accommodate the ball-shaped stop 31 and only a purposeful movement of the halyard 17 can shift the stop 31 from one to the other because of the shoulder 32 and the upstanding protrusion 33 on the extending bifurcated portion 25 at a point adjacent the intermediate bifurcated portion 26. A base 34 of wider and longer form adjoins the intermediate bifurcated portion 26 and affords a convenient means of attaching the sustainer 2 3 to the mast 12.

Although not necessarily associated with the aforesaid halyard securing means and equally capable of being used separately therefrom, the disclosed runing rigging preferably also includes the halyard securing means of my invention in association with the halyard 19 attached to the jibsail 18. The presently described halyard securing means comprises sustainer 23 of the same construction and proportions as the aforesaid sustainer 23 and marked correspondingly with primed numbers. However, the sustainer 23' is associated with the portion of the halyard 19 attached to the headboard of the jibsail '18 and is attached to the forward side of the mast 12 at an oblique or tilted position effected by arrangement of the wedge block 35 therebetween. The halyard 19 lies within the open guideway or guideslot of the sustainer 23 which is located at the oblique or tilted position to cause straight falls of the halyard 19 at the near to and full hoisted positions of the jibsail 18 to intersect the lower edge of the sloping outer contour 29 of the extending bifurcated portion 25' and to lie over the upper end of the passageway 28 in the intermediate bifurcated portion 26', respectively. The variation between the positions of the sustainers 23 and 23' with respect to the mast 12 is caused 'by the difference in the mast-to-headboard attachment distances of the respective halyards 17 and 19 and illustrate one manner of accommodating the sustainer of the halyard securing means to a normal variation in rigging construction. Obviously, a difierent pulley construction or placement could also require a coresponding different arrangement of the sustainer of the securing means. The very slightly below full hoist position at which the jibsail 18 is carried when sailing is determined by the presence of the fixed ball shaped-stop 31 on the halyard 19 in the pocket 27' of the sustainer 23 and the halyard 19 being held forward of the straight fall line 30.

Hoisting and lowering of both the mainsail 16 and the jibsail 18 are effected in the same manner and each instance is eifected by pulling or releasing the lowermost end of the halyard 17 or 19. In the described instance, the halyards are pulled or'released by the manual rotation of the respective drums of the winch 22; however, the manner of actuating the halyards is not of importance to the operation of the halyard securing means of my invention and can be performed manually or in any other manner desired.

Specifically, the mainsail 16 of the running rigging dis lclosed is raised by pulling the lower end of the halyard 17 downward until the fixed ball-shaped stop 31 on the end of the halyard 17 attached to the mainsail 16 rides onto the sloping outer contour 29 of the extending portion 25 of the sustainer 23 and thence upward beyond the upper end thereof to a position over the pocket 27. The fixed stop 31 and halyard 17 do not shift laterally closer 'to the mast 12 and take the specified position until the fixed stop 31has moved beyond the end of the extending bifurcated Portion 5 suf ici nt for it to have shifted laterally and ride against the shoulder 32, or possibly the upstanding protrusion 33. A slight release movement of the halyard 17 allows the fixed stop 31 to drop into the pocket 27 so that the full load of the halyard 17 is taken by the sustainer 23. As the load on the halyard 17 is constant, the fixed stop 31 remains seated within the pocket 27 and no other means are required to hold it in place. Accordingly, all possibility of theihalyard slipping loose from that means can be ignored. The fixed positions of the sustainer 23 on the mast 12 and the stop 31 on the halyard 17 make certain the height at which the mainsail 16 is set exactly and is always reestablished each time the mainsail 16 is set.

Lowering of the mainsail 16 is effected by first pulling the halyard 17 upward until the fixed stop 31 is raised above the shoulder 32 and the protrusion 33, whereupon the halyard 17 is free to take the straight full position. While in that position, the halyard 17 is released gradually and the fixed stop 31 and halyard portion adjacent the mainsail 16 pass freely downward through the passageway 28 as need be to accommodate the lowering of the mainsail 16. The mainsail 16 need not be fully lowered before it is again raised into position as the halyard securing means of my invention is fully operable again after the halyard 17 is lowered the short distance required to carry the stop 31 below the lower end of the passageway 28.

The raising and lowering of the jibsail 18 is effected in the same manner as described in connection with the mainsail 16. In the instance of the jibsail 18, the halyard 19 is pulled and then released to cause stop 31' to slide up the sloping outer contour 29' of the sustainer 23 and then seat in the pocket 27. The lowering of the jibsail 18 is effected by pulling the halyard 19 to the extent that the stop 31' passes above the shoulder 32' and the protrusion 33 to a position over the passageway 28' after which the stop 31 passes downward therethrough.

Obviously certain modifications of the described halyard securing means are within the scope of my invention. I am aware that certain limited variations in the shape, as well as the particular construction of both the sustainer and the stop of the securing means can be of advantage from a manufacturing standpoint or when the sail load is less or greater. The protrusion 33 between the pocket 27 and the passageway 28 can be dispensed with, if desired, or can be used in place of the shoulder 32.

What I claim is:

1. A sustainer for releasably securing a stop ona halyard of a sail to the mast of a sailboat comprising a base attachable to an upper mast portion in the plane of the sail and intermediate and extending bifurcated portions projecting from the base in that plane, forming an open guide slot for the halyard, the intermediate bi furcated portion also defining a passageway along the line of origin of the slot adjacent-the base of a size to allow free passage of the stop when the sail is lowered, and the extending bifurcated portion defining adjacent one end of the passageway an open pocket intersected by the slot and of a size to hold the stop when the sail is fully set, and further, having a contour of gradually greater extent adjacent the pocket so that the stop is deflected outward around the extending bifurcated portion and into the pocket when the halyard is moved upward to set the sail.

2. A sustainer as described in claim 1, wherein the extending bifurcated portion defines the open pocket in a surface displaced axially of the passageway of the intermediate bifurcated portion and defines a shoulder therebetween so that the stop is prevented from shifting from a position over the pocket to a position over the passageway until such time asthe halyard is pulled to move the stop away from the extending bifurcated portion to clear the shoulder.

3. A sustainer as described in claim 1, wherein the extending bifurcated portion defines a protrusion between the open pocket and the adjacent end of the passageway so that the stop is prevented from shifting from a position over the pocket to a position over the passageway until such time as the halyard is pulled to move the stop away from the extending bifurcated portion sulficiently to clear the protrusion.

4. A rigging for a sailboat comprising a mast, a sail, a halyard running from the top of the sail to an upper portion of the mast and thence downward to an available position to allow the sail to be pulled upward and lowered, and means for securing the halyard when the sail is set comprising a stop attached to the halyard near the sail, and a sustainer attached to an upper mast portion in the plane of the sail for releasably securing the stop to the mast comprising intermediate and extending bifurcated portions in the plane of the sail forming a vertical open guide slot for the halyard, the intermediate bifurcated portion also defining a passageway along the line of origin of the slot adjacent the mast of a size to allow free passage of the stop when the sail is lowered, and the extending bifurcated portion defining in the upper end adjacent the passageway an upwardly opening pocket intersected by the slot and of a size to hold the stop when the sail is set, and further having a contour of gradually greater extent upwardly toward the pocket so that the stop is deflected outward around the extending bifurcated portion and into the pocket when the halyard is moved upward to set the sail.

5. A rigging for a sailboat as described in claim 4, wherein a second sail is located on the opposite side of the mast from the first mentioned sail, a halyard runs from the top of the second sail to an upper portion of the mast and a second means is provided for securing the second halyard when the second sail is set, the second securing means being comprised of a stop attached to the second halyard and a sustainer attached to the opposite side of the mast from th first mentioned securing means, the sustainer having the form of the sustainer of that means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1950 Brawand. 6/1962 Harless l14108 

1. A SUSTAINER FOR RELEASABLY SECURING A STOP ON A HALYARD OF A SAIL TO THE MAST OF A SAILBOAT COMPRISING A BASE ATTACHABLE TO AN UPPER MAST PORTION IN THE PLANE OF THE SAIL AND INTERMEDIATE AND EXTENDING BIFURCATED PORTIONS PROJECTING FROM THE BASE IN THAT PLANE, FORMING AN OPEN GUIDE SLOT FOR THE HALYARD, THE INTERMEDIATE BIFURCATED PORTION ALSO DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY ALONG THE LINE OF ORIGIN OF THE SLOT ADJACENT THE BASE OF A SIZE TO ALLOW FREE PASSAGE OF THE STOP WHEN THE SAIL IS LOWERED, AND THE EXTENDING BIFURACTED PORTED DEFINING ADJACENT ONE END OF THE PASSAGEWAY AN OPEN POCKET INTERSECTED BY THE SLOT AND OF A SIZE TO HOLD THE STOP WHEN THE SAIL IS FULLY SET, AND FURTHER, HAVING A CONTOUR OF GRADUALLY GREATER EXTENT ADJACENT THE POCKET SO THAT THE STOP IS DEFLECTED OUTWARD AROUND THE EXTENDING BIFURACTED PORTION AND INTO THE POCKET WHEN THE HALYARD IS MOVED UPWARD TO SET THE SAIL. 